05/17/2026
My Long Post for....
COUNTRY LIGHTS & DENIM NIGHTS… YOU WERE ABSOLUTE MAGIC. ✨🤠💙
As I sit here reflecting on this weekend, my heart is FULL. Overflowing. Emotional. Grateful. Proud. Exhausted. Inspired.
This was my very first recital production of THIS magnitude, and let me tell you something…
I am DAMN PROUD. 👏🏽
To see an idea that lived in my mind come to life on stage through music, lights, costumes, choreography, visuals, storytelling, energy, and LOVE… was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.
“Country Lights & Denim Nights” was truly a labor of love. From designing the program, creating the visuals, organizing the flow of the show, writing the intro songs, producing the experience, and building an atmosphere that felt joyful and magical for everyone involved… THIS is my jam. This is what I love to do. Creating experiences that make people FEEL something is what feeds my soul.
And the amount of positive feedback we have received has me floating on CLOUD 9. ☁️✨
But none of this could have happened without an ARMY of incredible people standing beside me.
First and foremost…
Thank you to Betty Fairfax High School for providing the space, sound, and videography for our recital weekend. We are so grateful for your partnership and support in helping us bring this production to life!
To Danyell & Dennis Martinez: WOW. Your photo booth was NEXT LEVEL. The detail, creativity, and professionalism were absolutely incredible. Thank you for helping create such a fun and memorable experience for our families! And another huge thank you to your business, Elevations Graphics, for providing our studio merch and attire. Everything looked AMAZING!
John Lockett & Jennifer… my LEFT HANDS this weekend. Thank you for loading the U-Haul, unloading it, carrying boxes, lifting EVERYTHING, and showing up with unmatched strength and support all weekend long. You both carried so much weight, literally and figuratively, yelled at me if I lifted anything (eye ulcers are still healing) and I love you dearly for that! Thanks for caring!!
To our incredible photography team: Stanley Jones, his amazing wife, and my dear friend Jeannie Denman White… THANK YOU. The memories you captured this weekend are priceless. These photos are going to bring joy to our families for years to come and truly help tell the story of LDC. I already know these images are going to set us up for so much future success and happiness!
Erica Sauce: Our Stage Manager & Music Producer/Organizer!!! EXCELLENT JOB. The music was organized beautifully, the transitions flowed smoothly, and the shows truly ran with structure and intention because of your hard work.
Anay Aranda: AMAZING job as Show Runner! Thank you for being dependable, calm, and such a team player all weekend long!
Maggie Lewis: My BABYGIRL, You KILLED IT. 👏🏽 You wore MULTIPLE hats all weekend and jumped in wherever needed without hesitation. Thank you for being such a blessing to Team LDC.
Sam Duran: Thank you for holding down concessions and the lobby like a champ! We loved having you around and hope this is only the beginning with Team LDC!
Bobbie Jo Hogue, Creshawna, and Jennifer: THANK YOU for handling check-in and check-out so wonderfully. Keeping 200+ children organized and safe is NOT easy, and you all did an amazing job making sure every child was secure and accounted for.
And I have to shout Danyell Martinez
out AGAIN separately because WHAT SHE DID deserves its OWN recognition…
This woman single-handedly handled costume sizing and costume ordering for over 200 STUDENTS. 🤯 That is an INSANE task, and she absolutely crushed it. I am BEYOND impressed and grateful.
Jayme: thank you for rocking out all of the costume alterations! The kids looked GREAT because of your hard work and attention to detail.
Shannon McKenzie: my On Deck Stage Manager… you absolutely blew me away. You were calm, capable, dependable, and SUCH a blessing backstage, AND you stayed for loading out which was so unexpected! I love you Queen.
Brooklyn D DeMornay & Eliana Cohen: My SISTERS stepped in as recital coordinators for our dancers and did SUCH an amazing job. I was so proud watching them jump in and help lead. AND they cleaned their rooms afterwards?! 😂👏🏽 We love you both!!
Jennifer Garcia Molina thank you for simply being such a beautiful human to me. Your kindness and support mean more than you know.
Sherry Mullen: THANK YOU for donating the hay bales!!! They were a beautiful, messy, chaotic vision of perfection 😂 and made the stage look AMAZING.
And Ryder Gently: Whew. Where do I even begin? Hay Bale Delivery. Unloading. Hay bale setup. Bubble machines. Backdrop support. Hosting ALL THREE shows beside me in coordinated outfits. 😂👏🏽 I truly could not have done this without you. Thank you for being such an incredible support system and teammate.
To my TEACHERS…
Madison: Amazing choreography and backstage support! Thank you for your hard work and dedication to your students.
Melissa: Your classes were SO well prepared. Excellent job this season, and thank you for all of your hard work!
Serena Christianson: You SLAYED those tap routines! The kids AND adults looked and performed so well! I could watch you Tap ALL day!! I also enjoyed meeting your husband!!
Tristan Hooks: Thank you for holding DOWN hip hop. Everyone was VIBING and your energy brought so much life to the stage. We are truly going to miss you, and we thank you for ending your final recital with us in such a powerful way.
John Lockett: Another shoutout because the choir performance of “Lean On Me” was BEAUTIFUL. Thank you for producing such a meaningful moment in the show, & for singing Thousand Years with me!
Kanine: Thank you for all of your tumbling and hip hop choreography this season. Even while battling a severe concussion and unable to fully participate, you STILL showed up and supported the team. That dedication means so much.
Brezny: You are hands down one of the BEST littles teachers that we could ever ask for. The love, patience, and joy you bring to your students is absolutely incredible.
Sidney: Thank you for being such a breath of fresh air these last few years. Your love for your students was EVERYTHING, and we are all going to miss you so much as you graduate and move to California. Your impact mattered.
Kristin Jenkins …. 😂❤️
This woman is officially my WORK PERSON. We work SO well together, and I genuinely feel like God finally gave me a clone. Thank you for being my right hand, my brainstorming partner, my support system, and such a huge piece of Team LDC.
To ALL volunteers who came to support LDC this weekend!!! THANK YOU. Every single person mattered, and it is selfless people like you who make the world go around!
To our shout-out families and our vendor families, thank you for participating, and helping make this production special.
And to our STUDENTS…YOU DID AMAZING. 👏🏽
The growth. The courage. The smiles. The confidence. The performance quality. The HEART.
You all shined so brightly this weekend, and I hope every dancer, tumbler, cheerleader, and performer knows just how proud I am of them. Keep believing in yourselves because the stage LOVES you. 💙
And To...our PARENTS!! You All have my HEART.
From the absolute craziness of dress rehearsal to the magic we created together on recital day… THANK YOU for trusting us with your children.
Thank you for your patience, support, rolling with the chaos, cheering loudly, and most importantly, Thank you for believing in this new chapter of LDC.
We are FAMILY now… and I truly cannot wait to continue growing together and seeing what the future holds for all of us.
To Team LDC…
THANK YOU for helping bring this vision to life.
And lastly…Regi. ❤️
My beautiful, incredible wife.
WE ARE DOING IT.
Look at what we are building together. Look at the joy, the opportunities, the community, and the magic we are creating side by side.
You are my ROCK. My safe place. My partner through all of this. And I am so HONORED to be your wife.
I love you endlessly, and I am so proud of us.
Laveen Dance & Cheer is officially OURS… and the future is SO bright. ✨
If I accidentally missed anyone, please forgive me and charge it to my head and not my heart. This weekend was BIG, emotional, and beautiful beyond words.
THANK YOU ALL for helping make Country Lights & Denim Nights such an unforgettable success!! I am SMITTEN!
Picture Gallery Links, and Video will be available in 30 days!
With so much love,
Kiva Hollywood
Owner/Director
Laveen Dance & Cheer
The space to Live, Dance, Create
www.laveendanceandcheer.com
